Tatale Recipe: Ghanaian Ripe Plantain Pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe plantains (skins mostly black), peeled
• 1/2 cup corn flour (about 60 g)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/2 medium onion, finely grated or minced
• 1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper, minced (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Method

1. Mash the plantains in a large bowl until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine; they caramelize into the best bits.
2. Stir in the corn flour, grated ginger, onion, Scotch bonnet if using, and salt. Mix to a thick batter that drops slowly from a spoon. If it is too loose, add corn flour a tablespoon at a time. Let it rest 10 minutes; the flour hydrates and the batter firms up.
3. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a wide pan over medium heat. The oil is ready when a drop of batter sizzles at once.
4. Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the oil, leaving space between them, and flatten gently with the back of the spoon. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep golden with crisp edges.
5. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack, not paper towels; the rack keeps the bottoms crisp. Serve warm.

Tips

The plantain must be truly ripe. Yellow with a few spots gives you a bland pancake. Nearly black skin gives you the sweetness and the caramelized edges the dish is known for. If your plantains are not there yet, wait.

Medium heat, not high. The sugars in ripe plantain burn fast. Medium heat gives the center time to cook through while the outside turns golden. If the edges darken before two minutes, turn the heat down.

Rest the batter. Ten minutes of rest is the difference between a pancake that holds and one that spreads into lace. The corn flour needs the time.